Part Seven
Posted: 20 April 2022
You can use the "Previous" link, above, to see the the first part of the journey around the island. Alternatively, you might prefer to start at the The Beginning of the tour.
Returning up the gradient to the island's Top Junction everything is very much as it was in 2020. The only difference is that in 2020 I was further back on the path so, on the right, the image shows a little more of the slope down to the water's edge.
As in 2020, when point out the fence post lying on the ground ahead and report that little has changed since the photo taken in 2015, I will say the same this time.
Again, there is nothing new to comment on in what you see. Only the angle of the sun seems different. As I have said earlier in the tour, I must remember to take the pictures at this time of day next time.
Last time I said, "Five years ago this section of the tour lacked the chippings of the earlier part of the circular path. It's surface was the freshly dug soil held level by the log edging on the outer side." I continued, "The logs are still there, with no noticeable rot and the path surface now is mainly grass." I ended saying, "It is planned to trim the bank on the left with 9" high planking. This should help stop the soil constantly eroding onto the path."
As you have seen in the earlier part of the tour round the island, almost none of the work planned for the paths on the island has been started, let alone finished.
Again, much the same can be said about this section of the island as was said in 2020. The vegetation is maturing slowly and we can expect another good crop of foxgloves.
Finally, we approach the Tree House and see the boardwalk, constructed at the same time, in 2015.
This time we see the furniture in the Tree House is covered. It is a week earlier than the 2020 photographs and while it has had an initial hose down after winter, the covers are there to prevent more bird droppings appearing before we have a BBQ later in the day. I don't think I have mentioned that this year the photographs are being taken on Easter Day!
Standing on the edge of what was, at the panning stage, called "The Viewing Platform" we look across "The Pool". This perhaps is the one image that suffers by being taken at this time of day, directly towards the sun.
Last year we did a major clean of the all the wooden walking surfaces on the site. It included the decking around the house, the tree house and board walks. They all had some algae growth and those with no netting added had become a little slippery. One cure tried were rubber mats and that on the bottom step of the tree house has been retained.
Finally, we reach our starting point on the island again. while the grass path ahead looks in reasonable condition, it is a little lumpier than ideal. However, improving the surface is not a priority at the moment.
As with the previous tour once we cross the bridge we'll take a step up to catch the view across what we had begun to call the "Flower Meadow" but is also used for our experiments with fruit and vegetables.
